Vietnam: Five-year-old boy falls 65ft to his death after getting entangled in a huge kite

A freak gust of wind dragged a young child up 65ft in the sky, who then plunged to his death.

The horrific accident occurred on Sunday in Ho Chi Minh City during a kite festival when Van Minh Dat's legs became tangled up in the kite's ropes.

The child was next to a large red kite which was preparing to be flown by the Saigon Kite Club at a festival.

He is believed to have accompanied his parents who sell beverages to kite fliers and members of the public in the Dong Dieu area in Hoc Mon District.

As the kite was about to be flown, Dat crawled under the kite's wing, which had a span of 59ft, according to Nguoi Lao Dong newspaper.

Bystanders tried to pull the kite back down as it took off skywards, but failed to rescue the boy.

Video shot on a mobile phone shows the terrified boy being carried up into the air with strong gusts of wind. Dat then hurtles back down to earth. He survived the initial fall but died later from his injuries in hospital.

His aunt, who witnessed the accident, said the giant kite was being launched by members of the Saigon Kite Club.

She said: "Everyone was looking at them because the kite had fallen to the ground a couple of times as the weather was a bit erratic.

"One of the lines snagged a table near the drinks stand and knocked over some chairs as well.

"Dat had run over to pick up some of the fallen soft drink bottles when his leg got tangled in the kite string, which just took off when it was hit by strong winds."